The committee is anxious about how Zika will hit poorer countries without such strong public health infrastructure.
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Importantly, the health consequences of imported Zika virus will depend on local ability to diagnose and respond to a possible outbreak, but will also depend on possible underlying levels of immunity to Zika virus. The virus is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito as well as through sexual contact and most infected patients feel only minor flu-like symptoms.
Researchers link Zika to the potentially fatal Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can lead to weakness and paralysis.
Elsewhere, people living in areas which the authorities are monitoring based on where those infected with Zika live or work – such as Sembawang Drive – are also taking precautions even though no Zika case has surfaced there yet.
As of Friday, the CDC had spent $194 million of the $222 million it was given to fight the virus, said agency director Dr. Thomas Frieden, The New York Times reported. Schaffner said the finding showed there is a substantial amount of Zika in circulation.
Liang Jun said his family is more careful now, given that Telok Kurau is near the main Zika cluster in Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive.
The CDC has sent about $35 million to Florida and much of that has been spent, Frieden said.
The Committee congratulated Brazil on their successful application of appropriate public health measures during the Olympic Games. The USA, Australia, Taiwan and South Korea have urged pregnant women against travelling to Singapore. The virus has been known to occur largely in tropical regions of Africa and Asia, and is related to dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever.
Singapore is encouraging residents to use insect repellent, clear blockages in drains and wear long-sleeved clothing to protect themselves from mosquitoes as the number of Zika infections rose in this city state.
Indonesian Health Ministry spokesman Oscar Primadi said Thursday that health officials are recommending that the Foreign Ministry issue an advisory against nonessential travel to Singapore, particularly for pregnant women.
Yao said World Health Organization expects that “the spread of (the virus ) will continue”.
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High winds from the hurricane will also make aerial spraying with pesticides impossible, disrupting a key effort by the state to keep mosquito populations under control, said Joseph Conlon, a retired U.S. Navy entomologist who serves as technical adviser for the American Mosquito Control Association.
